---
title: Fields
info: "Understand the role of fields and how to handle them."
image: /images/user-guide/fields/field.png
sectionInfo: Flexible data model designed to support your unique business processes
---

import { VimeoEmbed } from '/snippets/vimeo-embed.mdx';

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## About Fields

Fields are like columns in a spreadsheet. They store different types of data like text, numbers, or dates. Fields can be standard (built-in) or custom (the ones you create).

### Standard Fields

Standard fields come built-in with Twenty to handle common business needs.

For example, `First Name` and `Last Name` are standard fields in the `People` object. They store text data for individual names.

You cannot delete standard fields, but you can deactivate them if you don't need them.

You can also customize the options of the standard ```SELECT``` type fields, for example the options for the ```Stage``` on Opportunities.

<img src="/images/user-guide/fields/standard-fields.png" style={{width:'100%'}}/>

### Custom Fields

Custom fields can be added to any object. You can store text, numbers, dates, dropdown selections, and more. Use custom fields to track information that's specific to your business.

For instance, a custom field for SpaceX could be `Rocket Active Status`, indicating if a rocket is operational.

<img src="/images/user-guide/fields/custom-fields.png"style={{width:'100%'}}/>

## Create a Custom Field

To add a custom field to any object, follow these steps:
	1.	Go to `Settings` in the left sidebar.
	2.	Go to `Data Model`, then select the object you wish to customize.
	3.	Proceed by clicking on `Add Field`.
	4.	Choose a field name and type that suits your requirements. Consider adding a field description for better understanding.

Your newly created field is now available within the application's fields. To display it on a specific view, click on the options menu, then select `Fields`.

<VimeoEmbed videoId="927628219" title="Video demonstration" />

**Quick way:** Click the **+** button at the top right of any object table, then select `Customize fields`. This takes you directly to the Data Model settings.

<img src="/images/user-guide/fields/quick-new-field.png" style={{width:'100%'}}/>

## Deactivate a field

You can deactivate a field to hide it from the app without losing your data. Think of it as hiding the field rather than deleting it.

Here's how you can do it:

1. Find the field you want to deactivate in your object settings.

2. Click the three dots `⋮` next to the field to open the menu.

3. Select `Deactivate` from the dropdown.

<img src="/images/user-guide/fields/deactivate-field.png" style={{width:'100%'}}/>

What happens when you deactivate a field?

1. **In the app:** The field disappears and you can't add new values to it.

2. **Existing relationships:** If it's a relation field, existing connections stay but you can't create new ones.

3. **API access:** You can still access the field and its data through the API.

You can reactivate Standard and Custom Fields or have the option to permanently delete them.

## Make Fields Unique

Make a field unique to ensure distinct records cannot have the same value. For example, email addresses are unique for each person.

If you get an error when setting uniqueness, check for duplicate values in your data (including deleted records).

## Field Configuration Best Practices

### Naming Conventions and Limitations
- **Relation field names cannot be updated** after creation (impacts API structure)
- **Singular and plural named must be distinct**: Our GraphQL API needs distinct names for mutations
- **Protected field names**: some names are reserved for system usage (e.g., ```Type```)

### Currency and Phone Fields
- **Default currency**: can be configured via the data model
- **Default country codes**: can be configured for phone fields via the data model

### Select Fields
- **A default option can be selected** for each Select field

### Record Text Fields
- **Each object has one main display field**: This field appears in the leftmost column and represents the record when linked to other objects. It must be a text field. For example, People uses `Name` as the main field, so when you link a person to a company, you'll see their name in the company's view.

### Relation Fields
- **Connect objects together**: Relation fields link records from different objects. For detailed information on creating and managing relationships, see our [Relation Fields](/user-guide/data-model/relation-fields) article.


